Moonlit Shadow of the Wild Rose
by Illyrian Lassie
Summary: He thought she died, never realizing that it was all illusions until fate had him meet a girl who looked exactly like her 15 years later, she happened to be his daughter. IchiHime Futurefic.
1. Prologue

**Moonlit Shadow of the Wild Rose**

**Prologue**

**Author's note**: (Edited) Previously rated M, but I've decided to make it a T since there will be nothing mature appearing anytime soon.

Spoilers up to chapter 312. In other words, I'm creating a resolution for the HM arc to fit into what I had in mind for the story. More notes at the end of the chapter.

**Warning**: Some suggestive actions ahead, and a mini-smut at the near-end of this chapter.

* * *

The moon shone brightly and illuminated his sharp, angular features. The high cheekbones, his hard jaw, and his tough muscles. Orihime's fingers were twiddling his, except that he is currently deep in slumber, and she was watching him, naked and barely covered with the sheets of the futon mattress, which she normally used as a solitude sanctuary at night. Only that it hadn't been only her on the mattress these days, and that nights weren't her escapades from the obscurity her life had been thrown to lately.

She had been watching Ichigo sleep for a while now. He stirred, and tightened his hold on Orihime's finger in his fingers. Her free hand moved to his hair and very gently running her fingers through his hair. She had not felt his hair enough to appreciate the softness, the other times when she had done that was simply her rummaging her fingers into his hair when they are kissing, or when they are busy making love. She can't help but smiled at how the muscles near his eyes twitched slightly at the touch.

Her hand moved from his hair and now gently traced his cheeks. Despite being roughened by scars of his trainings and battles, having features toughened by his personality, his face now looked strangely child-like. Having his forehead relaxed now that he is not frowning, his face reverted to its original innocence that was untainted by his sudden emotional growth, which is the consequence of the power which he possessed, the responsibility which he bears, and the sorrow which he sometimes contain.

Even though she had always imagined him as a prince, it's weird even to her that he looked closer to an angel than a prince while he is sleeping with such serenity. Away from challenges in battles, free from paranoia of the upcoming war, and devoid of insecurity of being unappreciated. She knew the last one very well, because he just told her that a few hours ago, which was what triggered a series of actions that led towards the eventual lovemaking.

'Orihime, I had something in my mind for quite sometime,' he said in a soft voice after seeing her finally awake from a slumber in his arms, and they were both lying in each others arms in a sofa in her living room.

She merely cooed, being half awake, which he answered by, 'I had a irrational thought that maybe you hadn't wanted to leave Hueco Mundo, and you didn't want me to bring you back here.'

This had woke her up with quite an alarm. She turned her body around to face him, and said, 'No, Kurosaki-kun! I didn't feel that way at all!!'

He merely smirked, 'Havent I told you, I didn't want you to call me that anymore?'

She blushed, and whispered in obedience. 'Erm, yes, Ichigo.'

He brushed her bangs aside, and planted a light kiss on her forehead, 'But it was true that I had thought about that, Orihime. I always had fears that you never wanted to be back, and I had thought that perhaps I had forced my feelings on you.'

She fell into silence upon hearing that. She didn't know what to tell him, and the few months that she had been in real world after leaving Hueco Mundo with him was not exactly a paradise for her. In fact, the only times when she had been remotely happy was before those dreams haunt her sleepless; the harder times was when she was around him, conflicted on choosing to cry onto his shoulders, or to push him away. And they were not helped by constantly seeing their friends hurt someway or another.

Keigo and Tatsuki suffered major injuries which resulted from a sneak Arrancar attack. Matsumoto chased after Gin and was injured, so did Hitsugaya. While Nemu's poison suffice in counterattacking several Arrancars who had planned an assault on the real world which were coincidentally nearby Ishida's house, she is still recuperating. Rukia barely survived an attack and is accompanied by Renji in the Kuchiki mansion. Even Vice-captain Isane was dispatched to the real world, just in case.

'You can stop this, woman.'

She knew that. How many times had he chosen to enter her thoughts using the synchronized recognition implanted into her mind?

'You know what to do.'

She does, but she isn't sure that she could do what is on her mind. She would loved to have the courage too do it, but she couldn't, and meeting Ichigo's eyes, she couldn't bring herself to make that decision.

'We'll be in this together,' he said to her, hands caressing hers. 'I told you that I will protect you, and I will do it.'

Orihime felt her heart almost melted. She could hear his words filled with determination to protect her everytime, and yet, they never fail to move her. She was more than happy to have him made such a promise, after all, she just realized how emotionally vulnerable he could be. He could be broken, as she discovered painfully, and she could be the one doing the breaking.

The testament was revealed to her just a few hours ago, as she was trapped in a Hueco Mundo-real world intermediate dimension which was a new creation of whomever succeeded Szayel Apporo as the Hueco Mundo's resident researcher. The megalomaniac himself, Aizen Sousuke appeared before her, persuading her to return for the complete awakening of the scarlet creation that was the Hougyoku.

'Orihime, I will not force you. Remember that you are a very important person to me.' His drawl droned on as her face froze in the shock that had witnessed the phenomenon that she previously thought was impossible, even for Aizen.

'Do you fear me, Orihime?' he had asked her as he approached.

She couldn't react, and instead of speaking, she remained immobile.

'There's no need for fears, Orihime. I wouldn't kill you, and you have my words for it. I hope you will come back to me, because I will need you.'

'I will be glad if you will do that, Orihime.'

With the last, he disappeared and the dimension dissolved, but not her terror.

It had dawned upon her that she will have to make a decision very soon, and there will be no other way. It's up to her, and she could change the fate of her friends, as she looked up to a very worried Ichigo, across the street.

He ran to her, disregarding the maniacally honking vehicles, and panted as he was a step away from her.

'Orihime…' he was clearly about to run out of breath.

'Your reaitsu…I can't feel any of them…I thought you were…'

She raised her gaze to meet his eyes, and realized how relieved he looked, and how painful it had been for him. A few months ago, she would have thought that his concern was those of a friend to another; but time and again he proved that he wanted her more as more than just a friend. The was which he watched over her like a hawk and the way he never complained about the daily walks to her home to take her home. The way he softly whispered in her ears, the way his eyes gently glanced towards her, and the way he kissed her.

She suddenly felt guilty to have caused him all the troubles. To have pushed him because she wasn't sure that she could stay with him without hurting his feelings. To have worried him to have him skip class because he couldn't feel her presence anywhere. To have scared him shitless with her transportation to another dimension which could have resulted in her capture. Again.

It doesn't matter now that there are many conflicts, tension and turmoils awaiting them, and it doesn't matter now that she could make a decision to leave the real world to solve the trouble.

She finally understood the magnitude which her safety is placed in his mind, and that instead of growing as a fighter alongside him, she had worried him.

'I'm sorry, Ichigo, I hadn't meant to worry you..' guilty tears began to fall from her eyes.

She couldn't complete her apology because he pulled her into a tight embrace.

'I'm so glad, Orihime,' he said. 'Nothing else matters anymore. You are safe, and I'm very glad.' She held him in return, and her tears magically receded.

They stood in the position for quite sometime, until he decided to skip school altogether, and spend the day with her, even though it was all about her catching with some sleeps. He never knew it, but her insomnias were results of the messages that were transmitted via the synchronized recognition system established during her brief stay in Hueco Mundo a few months back.

'I will not fail you, Orihime,' he continued after an awkward pause. 'Trust me.'

She willed her heart and finally spoke. 'Ichigo is sounding like Naruto,' with a chuckle.

Obviously taken aback, Ichigo scratches his head, as if trying to figure out an answer to that, and her continuing giggles didn't seem to make it easier for him.

'Please don't laugh,' he whined.

'You have a really funny face, Ichi-' he silenced her with a finger, then moved nearer and kissed her softly on the lips. She was surprised by his sudden move, but went along with him, and wrapped her hands around his neck. A wave of electricity flowed through her body, and revived her energy. His kisses grew hungrier, and more passionate, and his hands started to touch the part of her body which he is greatly fond of – her waist. She never failed to feel aroused by the way he touched her, and that was how she realized that they are in the wrong place.

She broke the kiss, and spoke to him, 'Ichigo…'

'The couch is a bit too small.'

They exchanged awkward glances in that awkward position, and Ichigo hesitated before he finally spoke.

'Alright, we'll move.'

What follows was something which had officially made the day her favourite in a very long time. He took it slow this time, and started off with him going to her neck, kissing and sucking lightly, while hands removing her clothes with skill that was perfected in times they had been together, and her savouring the proximity by doing the same to his clothes, unbuttoning his shirt. It was a good thing that they are in their unifoms, because that way at least they are clothed in shirts which are buttoned. They were almost in unison as the shirts are thrown to the floor, and their bottom halves were about to be bared.

He eventually left a mark evident enough, then unhook her bra and bent down to her generous chest, and Orihime felt her body shivered from the pleasure that was generated by that sensation, and her breasts automatically hardened, with her nipples getting erect a fleeting moment after. And as he pulled in closer, she could felt his manhood, and she knew that he was getting a hard-on. Her hands moved by themselves to his pants and unzip it, and before she could do anything, he already had her skirt slid to the floor, and was pushing her to the mattress.

It didn't really occur to her that he had taken the pants away by himself, and that from her breast, his lips are now focusing on hers, working his tongue with hers, and her hands to her bottom. They were very closely locked with each other, so close that she could felt him hardening there with the most sensitive part of her thigh. Her hands, which are previously touching his chest, now moved to the back of his neck, and pulling him closer. Her body is heating up, and every move he make now could only raise her temmperature further. Much further.

His kisses began to slow down in pace. He rose, and stared into her eyes, burning them into hers, causing her to blush. She released her right hand from his neck, and touched his face, and realized that he had been sweating. He in turn, took the hand and kissed it, while his other hand took in a few strands of her hair. He swept her hair behind, and continued working his way to her belly. She couldn't help moaning in pleasure, and he never stopped making her lose her breath, by taking her into him more and more.

All was blurry after. It all happened slowly, but she was too absorbed in the moment that it was never registered into herself to remember all the details. The way he moaned as he kiss and touched her. The way he spread her legs to touch her there, and the way he slipped into her. They were all moments that she felt taken by him completely, and when he laid his head on her chest after their climaxes, which magically happened simultaneously, he was slumping in pleasant exhaustion. She wrapped her hands to envelop him on his shoulders while his muscular arms curled on her dangerous curves. They did not speak, only occasional whimpering to tell each other that they are tired, and slept a moment after.

Her thoughts were suddenly torn from him and her eyes were looking back into the sleeping Ichigo as she was jolted by the soft ringing sound of the wind chime that was hanging above her window. She looked for her alarm clock and saw that it's only 3am in the morning, but the sky showed the roaring of thunder almost immediately after she took a look outside. She rose, and looking for parts of her outfit which were thrown all over the floor. She blushed as her eyes caught the sight of her torn panties, and remembered how rash was Ichigo to have accidentally torn it while having a hard-on. She wondered whether he would accompany her for lingerie shopping after this, and whether she should buy the branded ones or not. She headed for her small closet, wrapped in sheets that was separated from the futon mattress that was her bed, and took out a pair of lingerie to replace the one that was torn.

Fully clad in her usual t-shirt and pants, she headed to the window and pulls the glass pane closer to shield the house from the rain. The thunder roared again, this time, hearing the sound and shocked by the blinding lightning; she let out a little yell, and took a few steps back.

She calmed herself down, and glanced to Ichigo to check on him, but he was visibly unaware of the rumblings of the weather, and instead of being shaken, he merely stirred, and tighten his grip on the blanket that he's using to cover himself.

Seeing that he was not affected by the rustles of weather foreshadowing imminent rain, she returned her attention to the half-closed window and was mortally shocked by the familiar silhouette that she was left with a soundless gasp.

It was the very same Espada who had been responsible for her capture to Hueco Mundo a few months earlier, and the very same Espada whose voice had been haunting her in her sleeps.

"Ul…Ulqui…orra…." She stammered, unsure of his intentions.

The said Espada was floating in the air, and looked at her from outside her window, he disappeared a moment after, then appeared behind her. She knew because her neck was already pointed with something cold and sharp, which she could only assume was his sword.

"This time, woman, no persuasion is needed." With that last, she blanked out.

* * *

Author's end-of-fic ramblings: As I have mentioned earlier, this is only true to the manga up to chapter 312, and I'm creating an alternative ending of HM arc. This prologue took me quite some time to write, even if it is short, because this is the back bone of what follows next, and will be the only one told from Orihime's POV, thus, it had been through lots of rethinking and rearranging.

I really liked this idea, so much that I spend almost a month thinking about the entire plot, and thus, I hope you guys will like it too! Comments are well appreciated, thank you very much, and I will now take my time and focus on my other fics, since this had gone off my chest.

About the short-lived smut…..more will come! Thanks for reading, and have a nice day!


	2. Chapter 1

Moonlit Shadow of the Wild Rose

Chapter 1

Author's note – I'm changing the rating to T because this chapter had nothing explicit. In fact it may not have for a few more chapters. But whether there will be lemon will still be considered, depending on the response. Though I may censor it and place it on my LJ instead.

Thanks for the reviews, **Sweety8587** (who is a dear friend of mine) and **hitokiriangel**! This fic is really something which meant a lot to me, so I hope I wouldn't disappoint. And so, here comes the first real chapter XD.

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Her awkwardness after hearing his request had caused her paces to quicken into hop-like steps, and fortunately, he was blessed with remarkable reflexes. He caught her, and gently flung her backwards to have her fall into his arms. Almost immediately after he had her completely wrapped within his grasp, his nose eagerly breathed in the intoxicating aromas which filled the air.

Was it the chestnut fragrance of the shampoo that had its aroma particles ingrained into her hair; or was it the intangible natural scent of her body – he couldn't decide. He was high into the mood, immersed into the growing desire that had built up in him.

"Ichigo…." He heard a gentle whisper.

His eyes concentrated into hers; shimmers and glitters emitted blinding his vision, and he could see nothing but her huge luminescent eyes. Her eyes were the most beautiful that he had seen, and he loved the spellbinding enchantment conjured by such proximity with her.

"So we are not doing it tonight?' he faked a pout.

He gave her no time to respond. He bent his neck to have his lips meet hers; kissing her always leaves him craving for more.

"Ichigo….." she could only muster a strangled moan this time, in the brief break after he withdrew his lips to enable ventilation.

He placed a finger to her lips, requesting for her silence and pulled her closer for a deeper kiss.

He heard a louder voice calling him. 'Oi, Ichigo!!"

A smack to his head followed after, and he was jerked away from his fantastical dream.

He lifted his head from the table from which he had taken a little time to have a fast doze, and visibly pissed, he shouted at his secretary who had been yelling to wake him up.

"What the hell, Yuki!!" his secretary merely displayed a more pissed frown to him. "I was just taking a nap!"

"Nap? You must be kidding me! No one takes nap until he forgets that it's time to go home. And you think I didn't see you? You dozed off at twelve and now it's already six!!" she yelled back at him with equal noise frequency.

Ichigo's eyes searched for digital clock that he placed beside his office computer, and true enough, it was already 5 minutes past six. More than one hour after the office hour.

He scratched his head, as though he's trying to straighten the mess that was his orange mass, but for him it was just a normal gesture that he makes every now and then. "I'm sorry, Yuki. I was up all night for the new article yesterday. Thanks for coming back to call me up."

Yuki's frown dissolved into a grin. She smirked in a reply to his expression of gratitude. "You think I'm that nice to you huh? I left my purse here, and saw your sleeping face drooling all over the table. I am not wiping those tomorrow when your table is always the one I have to clean first thing in the morning, damn it."

Ichigo held back from being pissed further. He got up from his chair, headed for a cup of water to freshen himself, and turned to Yuki once again.

"Then why would there be nobody to wake me up a while ago, when it is still office hour?"

Yuki, who was searching her desk for her missing purse, replied. "The Tornado Woman was throwing a tantrum and almost everybody was just waiting to go home, which is why nobody had remembered to call you up."

She looked up from her desk. "You know, I was actually surprised that you could still sleep after all those commotions. You are lucky that she favoured you, Assistant Chief Editor-san, and so you escaped her wrath just by being someone that she will like to have in her bed."

Ichigo was startled, but not surprised by Yuki's frankness. It caught him off guard, and he ended up choking on his cup of water.

"What the hell?" Ichigo yelled at her. "That's not funny you know!"

Tornado Woman was referring to the head of the office, the Chief Editor of the Tokyo branch of Japan Daily news publication, Rika. Rika was a headstrong unmarried woman in her mid-thirties, but with a temper as horrible as the tornado, and hence the unofficial nickname that everybody in the office had given her. It is no secret that she had harboured interest in Ichigo, and had churned advances every now and then. He just brushed them aside, even after knowing that everybody in the office encouraged them together – killing two birds with a stone by hooking up Ichigo with someone, and to have Rika reduced to a lovesick damsel.

Ichigo entered the office a few years ago, and was promoted alongside Rika about two years ago. Ichigo was not afraid of her, unlike the rest of the office. In fact he considered her one of his friends, even though that only applies when she is not approaching her, throwing him lovelorn glances and constantly asking for a lunch or dinner together. Together they make a great team and had made sensational headlines via the publications they worked in, but he's just not interested in her that way.

Yuki had apparently found her purse. "There you go!! My purse had been found, and so I'm heading home for real this time! Yahoo!!"

Ichigo looked at his young tomboyish secretary and couldn't help but smile. She dropped out from university because of fallout from her family and had befriended Karin, which is how he came to know her. It's no surprise that he had gotten along with her so well, seeing that she's almost a duplicate of Karin herself. Baseball caps, rough demeanor unlike a lady's, energetic, and a great affinity for sports – Yuki for him, is just like another sister of his.

"Aren't you going home yet? Yuzu is cooking tonight, and seemed like a good time for a mini-reunion since today is Friday,' she called him out of his semi-dazed state.

Ichigo merely replied, "You may head on first, I'll be going in a while."

Yuki waved him goodbye, and took off from the darkened office, leaving Ichigo in his semi-unawakened state, thinking about his family and the dream he had.

He had just turned 30 last month, and Karin is already married, to his best friend no less, Chad that surprise charmer. They were still childless, since it was only last year that the wedding took place. Karin is managing the Karakura High School's female football team, and Chad owns a music store. Yuzu, meanwhile was not yet married, and was working as a manager in one of Ishida's boutique (Ishida is the owner of a business empire, which is not surprising considering his prowess). However Yuzu should also be married in a year or so, seeing that Jinta (who had grown to be a better gentleman now) was currently working out a plan to impress their father the almighty, Isshin. Whereas Isshin is still the town doctor and still clinging to Yuzu, the one he claimed as the child who loved him the most.

Ichigo packed his house key, his documents, and locked his office to call it a day, even though all he had done was to hand in the article that will potentially create some issues due to its controversial nature. He walked down a few flights of stairs (because the lift had been shut down) and headed straight into the night sky of Tokyo.

He still couldn't take his mind of the dream that he had a few moments ago. It's wasn't the first that he had about her these few days, but what puzzled him was the unexpected frequency that he had been thinking about her and strangely having him dream about the "what would he do if she is still around" scenarios. Just on that morning he had been thinking about kissing her while walking her back home in their high school days, and he had a dream about teasing for sex for the night, which was out of character for him, considering that he never teased anyone at all. And a few days before he as he passed by a jewelers and he had a dream about giving her a ring in a marriage proposal.

Orihime. How many years was it after that incident? He is now 30 and so it must have been about 15 years ago. After she was gone, he had graduated from high school, and entered college for a degree in Journalism and minor in English Literature, finished first class with honours, and had a successful career as a journalist and is in the process of editing a book by an author who had a best-selling series about the paranormal. Physically he hadn't grown much, and was still maintaining his tough boyish charm. His frowns were still not discarded; his hair still the orange mass; and even though hairs will surface on his face every now and then, his features were only that much slightly older that he was said to just age a little from his teenage years.

But his love life never moved from that spot as he held her lifeless body 15 years ago. He never moved on, never recovered from her loss, and never wanted the void to be filled. Ichigo, for the past 15 years that she left him, had not sought another love, and had not fell in love, even when he had somewhat been a guy whom the girls loved swooning to. He had been told that while he may not be the best-looking guy, the girls always find his tough exterior which is clouding the gentle persona particularly appealing. Not that he had never seen anyone prettier, in fact there are those as beautiful as Orihime, it's just that he had preferred to leave the empty space in his heart unoccupied – even when he knew that there is no way to have her back in his life again.

It's ironic how he had known her for the almost the whole of the first half of his life, spend a quality few months experiencing a roller-coaster ride of capricious romance with her, and yet spent another half of his life brooding over the loss, and without even bothering to attempt getting over her.

Indeed, how could he? She was the most special existence in his life for the glorious duration that he finally took notice of how he felt for her. She had brought him happiness in the way he never imagined anyone could even if there were more moments of bittersweet than plain full-blown romance. She made him feel empowered at times when he felt like a complete failure, boosted him up when he wanted to give up, and had accepted all of him – his unsightly frowns, his tough manners, his heavy responsibilities, and his dark side. He was a teen then, often seeking for comfort; and had found solace within her waiting embraces – and to him, nothing would change. She was the only one for him, and will always be the only one.

His thought drifted further to remember how her lips tasted as he lost himself by kissing her senselessly; how he loved the sight of her naked body, him basking into the delight of savouring possibly the best looking girl he could ever find, lusting over her womanly curves that was unseen for a young girl like her – and how dreadful had he felt for losing her.

He was there as she breathed her last. The most painful moment in his life after seeing the death of his mother, only this time murdered right in front of his eyes, witnessing the very blade impaling her heart. He had took her in his arms, assuring her that it will all be right as his rare tears streamed down his hot, flushed cheeks. Flushed with anger, heated with fury. She couldn't speak, and Ichigo could only imagined the effort it took for her too look into his eyes for the last time, reaching out his hand to touch his face as if silently requesting that he smile for her, curving up her lips to make her eyes shone for him.

He went into a state of withdrawal after her burial. A few long months of complete reclusion when nothing could console him; until his father surprised him by dragging him to his mother's grave. As usual the Kurosaki senior beat his son up good, until his head bled and he finally spoke and shouted to him, "Then tell me how! How did you manage without Mom?"

For the first time after Orihime's death, he poured his heart out, yelling to his father. And as fate would have it, the sky began to pour its tears, mourning along with him. With the rain acting as the catalyst, his tears flowed liberally as he told his father how he felt for losing Orihime – seeing her death, not being able to protect her like he promised, not being able to love her more, and worst of all, the thought of not fully appreciating when she was still around by his side.

Isshin merely nudged her son to sit down beside him by his late wife's grave, and didn't speak anything – just a company to share the sorrow with. Father to son, man to man – just the mere reassurance within each other's presence.

Isshin waited for the rain to stop, and the sun to rise before he spoke to his son.

"Ichigo, look how brightly the sun shone, and how comforting the rays of sunlight are."

Ichigo raised his face to peek above him slightly.

"When it rains in your heart, pour them out. It's alright to cry and it's alright to mourn. There are times when a man's heart will be flooded with sorrow, grief and distress. But remember this, Ichigo, the sun will always rise after the rain. Dewdrops after the rain are no longer the tears of the heart, but the remnant of the sorrow that you are crying for. Remember the sorrow, Ichigo, but seek for the sun."

"Masaki was the dewdrops, but you, Karin, and Yuzu are my sunshine rays. I never forget Masaki, even as I am being happy as your father. Just like Orihime-chan. She is now the dewdrop, but you will no sooner find the sun, Ichigo."

"Seek out for the sun, Ichigo,'' and he finally acknowledge the wise man that was his father.

Ichigo's thought was hit with a sudden jerk when he heard a female voice behind him.

"Ojii-san! Look out!" and the person whom the voice belonged to pulled him back, an act he was grateful for because a car was fast approaching.

He turned around to thank her after the car had passed, and to his complete astonishment, it was a face that he was very familiar with.

A face that had been haunting his dreams for the past few days and a face that he couldn't forget for the past 15 years.

He stammered in the bewilderment, "O…Ori..hime?"

* * *

_His vision was blurry, but he knew whom he saw the moment he regained his consciousness. _

"_I….Inoue…." he managed a moan. _

_She was no longer draped in the white outfit that was to be worn to declare her affiliation to the Hueco Mundo. He saw her by his side, in a plain shirt and a pair of short loose pants uncharacteristic of her – evident of being located in the real world. She immediately sat nearer to him, her face clearly displayed relief from seeing his awakened self. _

"_Are you alright, Kurosaki-kun?"_

_He took a glance around his surroundings and saw a familiar environment. _

"_It's Urahara-san's place…right?"_

_She nodded. "Yes. You have been sleeping for three days, Kurosaki-kun."_

_He smiled. He was tired, head still spinning, yet the very knowledge of being back in the real world provided him the instant remedy to all physical pain that he had endured in his sleep, even if he was not aware of them. He could be taking in the insufferable amount of agony, but the fact that he's back in a place to call his home did not change. He returned home, and he brought Orihime along. His mission had been achieved, and he thought he had never been more ecstatic to see her face. The normality of being in Karakura, the comfort of being home, and the euphoria to have accomplished his goal – they felt so good, so right._

_He turned to face her. "Inoue, I'm glad that you are back."_

_She was somewhat taken aback by his words, and smiled along with him. "No, Kurosaki-kun, I'm the one who's glad. I'm glad that you are still alive, and I'm thankful that you came to save me." And with the last sentence, her eyes began to well up with tears. _

_He reached his hand out for hers, gripping it tightly – an action which surprised both of them. She looked a little startled, as though she wasn't expecting him to have such energy yet, and also as though she wasn't expecting such straightforwardness from him. For him, it wasn't much because of the action itself; considering that he somehow wondered a little about his natural instinct to touch her in places where he knew it is alright to – it was that she should felt surprised that he actually touched her. _

"_Thank you, Inoue. It's all worth it, seeing you back here."_

_They were stilled in their respective positions for a while, not willing to let go of each other. Even though the touch was just that – a simple contact of hands for the two extremes in skin conditions. Hers smooth and refined, his rough and calloused. She cupped his with her free hand, and together, she stroked his hand, before slowly releasing it. She stood up, smiling to him and blushing furiously, as though she just realized what she had done. _

"_I'll make you something. Is tea alright? Yoruichi-san mentioned that immediately after you wake up, I should serve you tea." Her chirpy voice rang to break the tension in the air, while she dashed to away from the door almost immediately after that. _

_Ichigo couldn't help grinning, knowing that the old Orihime is back along with her physical presence. She was someone whose appearances in his life was subtle and profound in ways that he never understood until her capture took place. She was someone who matters to him a way which affected him the moment she is branded as a traitor under no concrete basis. Funny that it should take both events to have him realize the large a void that she will leave behind the moment they occurred. _

_At that moment he just remembered something major – he had kissed her right before transporting back to the real world from Hueco Mundo. He jerked his whole body up, sat on the futon mattress that was for him to sleep on, and felt his face reddened, his body heated by a reminder of that. _

_It wasn't something that he planned, definitely. It happened after Ulquiorra mentioned that she declared Aizen as the possessor of her mind and body – and Ichigo refused to believe the statement. He struck Ulquiorra repeatedly because he insisted that Orihime wasn't someone he could take home with relative ease as she had been hypnotized by the power of Aizen's charisma. His fury fired up because he doesn't like her belonging to Aizen, or anyone for that matter. He didn't understand why, but at that time he knew that he hated the very thought of it. He couldn't comprehend his own hypocrisy; when he kept insisting that she couldn't belong to anyone even though the words were sprouted from her very own mouth, as though he was the rightful one to dictate who should she belong to. _

_He deflected a cero from Ulquiorra that mistakenly headed to her, and scooped her so that he could further her distance from the battle field. Then he saw it, her tears of dejection, which paralleled his own as he battled Grimmjow only to have her as the first person among his friends to see his Hollow mask. It was then he realized that she was still herself, and amidst that confusion, it doesn't matter that she declared her allegiance to Aizen. He was there to take her home, and he would do it. Then he did it. He kissed her lightly on the mouth. Though it may not be defined as a kiss – it was more like a brief peck on the lips. _

_It wasn't intense as he did it while battling Ulquiorra; but the awkwardness of that situation that he did it hit him fully as he reflected on his last moments in Hueco Mundo. Having not defeated Ulquiorra after receiving orders to leave Hueco Mundo immediately due to Captain Mayuri of the 12__th __Division who had successfully infiltrated the Garganta enough for passage for all of them to the real world – he had no time to consider the magnitude of his actions within the intensity of the clashes, and the unfortunate condition of his body had him fell into unconsciousness the moment he stepped into the grounds of his world. _

_But now he had all the time he could to contemplate. About the kiss. _

_He should be thinking of seeking for Shinji to have his training continued, but all that filled his head for the moment was the kiss. _

_His first. Her first. Damn, why had he chosen to do it in such a lackluster manner? _

_He never read shoujo mangas, but even he as dense as he is, knew that kisses are no light matter for both girls and guys. At least that was what Yuzu and later, Rukia told him. He never gave love much thought, but he had an inkling that he had in himself, what could be defined as 'infatuation' in the romance area for a certain girl who had left to prepare tea for him. Instinct led him to chase after her in the lion's dent, despite the suicidal nature of the mission. It led him to strike those who tarnished her reputation. It awakened the very protective instinct to protect her, as how he had promised her. Come to think of it, he thought that he had overreacted in every occasion that she could be harmed. And suddenly he remembered overhearing Yuzu saying that he must be infatuated with someone to have reacted the way he did upon her departure. _

_Could this be it? Could he, the dense and romantic retard be infatuated with someone that beautiful? She was pretty, kind, charming and most importantly, desirable? She could get anyone with her positively outstanding attributes, and Ichigo simply couldn't bring himself to think that she could be feeling the same way about him. Could the kiss be driving her away from him? _

"_I'm coming!" Orihime entered the room with a tray. The mere sight of her in such a manner just after the post-kiss musings had his insides squirm a little. _

_She apparently caught sight of his anxiety. Putting down the tray beside him, she approached him, and placed her palm on his forehead. _

"_Do you feel uncomfortable, Kurosaki-kun?" Their faces were close facing each other. _

_He looked into her warm eyes, and she had nothing but genuine concern for him. He cursed himself for thinking that she could actually be turned off by the little peck on the lips he gave her. Such closeness didn't make him as nervous as he thought, and in fact, he actually liked being this close with her. She examined his forehead a little more, and took a step backwards. _

"_I think I should call Urahara-san." She paced quickly towards the door. "Maybe you could be having a fever, Kurosaki-kun!"_

_Ichigo's eyes lingered on her even long after she's gone, thinking that the next time, he found a chance, he will do it properly. _

_He wanted to give her a kiss which will leave a more lasting impression than the lousy one previously._

* * *

She disappeared. The very moment he took a glance at her face, she immediately disappeared.

Ichigo stood on the road side, turning his head and body to search for the girl that he just saw. His heart beat frantically, and his eyes went into a frenetic alertness for the sight of a brown-haired girl that he just saw.

His eyes darted towards his right where he spotted a figure with brown hair, and he rushed towards the figure. He ran past the crowd, past the speeding vehicles to reach his destination, thinking that he will finally see the girl again.

"Orihime.." He called in his mind. He didn't care that it doesn't make sense to have seen the face of a person whom he knew very well to be dead, and he didn't care that the face he had seen was one to not have suffered the agony of passing time. He knew that it could be her, and he can't wait to get the answers.

He called out to the person he was reaching and had his hand turned her around to face him.

"Orihime!"

Only that it wasn't her.

"I'm sorry. I must have mistaken." And the person brushed Ichigo's hands off, visibly displeased by the encounter, leaving him dumbfounded.

Could he had just be imagining things? Ichigo sighed and left for his father's place.

Just as he thought he saw a flicker of hope.

Just as he thought his sun will rise again.

He missed her terribly, and 15 years never changed it.

* * *

End of fic note – Thanks for reading, and as you can tell, the real chapters for the story take place 15 years in the future. And those which happened in the events leading to the prologue will be unraveled in the flashback, which are in the italics. Hope you enjoyed the chapter, and I'm sorry for the delay. I had a few really costly problems, one of them involving my laptop.

Have a nice day!!


	3. Chapter 2

**Moonlit Shadow of the Wild Rose**

**Chapter 2**

**Author's note** – Hmmm, so I've been told that the foretelling of character death actually turned off some people? I have to thank **Luminous Web** (your lovely PMs made my day!!) for alerting me on this. I guess I have to say that no one actually died in this fic, even Orihime. I have many friends who told me that there are far too many Orihime death fics that are being posted around…which kinds prompted me to change the eventual ending of my other fic, **Blaze of Wrath**, however this fic was never planned as a death fic at all. Thus, a slight change in the summary, and a spoiler.

Thanks for the reviews that came for the last chapter, and thanks to my amazing friends in the FLOL forums and BA who are supporting this fic and constantly gearing me to update! Here's to more IchiHime in the manga, after the flashback arc!

* * *

"_Inoue, could you please stay for a while?"_

_They were still in a little room in Urahara's store where Ichigo is still recuperating from his injuries, the day after he regained consciousness. He felt very much revitalized now, thanks to whatever he ate that was Urahara's miraculous medicines that seemed to have been concocted from some visually unappealing ingredients. _

_He was in need of a great deal of rest and sleep, considering that his soul was badly damaged from the injuries that was taken. From what Urahara explained to him, they had refused to use Orihime's power's for they need to suppress her reaistu as much as possible to avoid detection from the Hueco Mundo party who may be searching for her. Urahara even formulated a revised version of the reaitsu-draining gigai into a form of a bracelet, so that they hide her reiatsu instead of draining them. _

_Urahara mentioned to him that the Hueco Mundo is possibly the worst place a person could be caught hostage for. There was no rule, no law - only survival. Ichigo was deeply disheartened by this very fact and he was painfully reminded of Grimmjow's words during the battle that he had with him about how Orihime could be messed up inside. Just what had she been experiencing, Ichigo had a feeling that they wouldn't be anything pleasant. His more rational side told him that Grimmjow could be doing it to goad him further, but his emotions asked for confirmations. _

"_Is there anything, Kurosaki-kun?" She turned back to face him from the door carrying a tray of meal that Ichigo just finished. _

_If there is one thing about teenage hormonal reactions that Ichigo perhaps never understood was the fascination for some certain traits in the opposite sex that was more popularly coined as fetishism. There and then looking at Orihime and how she looked like while holding the tray gave him an eerie reminiscence of an image of a girl in maid's uniform that Keigo showed him some time ago. Strangely enough, he found the vision within his imagination that combined the sight of Orihime with maid's uniform a little…attractive. Even though that wasn't the first time he saw her carrying a tray in such a fashion; his thought process which yielded such a conclusion sometimes bugged him. More so than being able to conceive such a thought, it was the inexplicable increase in frequency of such thoughts gravitating around the girl he is looking at that bothered him more. _

_Ichigo immediately snapped himself out of the illusions that he just conjured, and said to her, "Do you have anything to tell me?" He had spent some time trying to figure out the best phrase that sounded the most non-interfering, non-inquisitive, and non-abrasive in order to have her tell him what kind of troubles had she faced in her brief stay in Hueco Mundo. There were many others that he could have used, such as "I want you to tell me what happened to you in Hueco Mundo", "Had anyone hurt you when you were there", "Who had harmed you"; but he decided against them. The y sounded far too nosy for him, and Ichigo was never nosy. _

_She was not entirely distracted at his question, in fact the general nature if the question seemed to only garner another general response in return. _

"_Huh? What do I have to tell you?" Her expression didn't seem to have indicated that she understood Ichigo's intention at all. _

_Ichigo thought that he should have expected such a reaction from her. After all, it was Orihime he was talking too, whose endearing innocence always bear no ill will to anyone, let alone hold a grudge massive enough to need to vent to anyone. What was he thinking, asking her such a private question? It just hit him that Orihime isn't someone who will open up easily. Not because she was an introverted person, but because she kept the best of those she met, even if they did the opposite. _

_He scratched his head a little, trying to find something tactful to say. "It's nothing, Inoue" was nothing of that sort, but the words escaped his mouth before he can evaluate them. _

"_I'll return with your medicine in a while, so please rest for a while, alright?" Orihime flashed him a smile, and closed the sliding door behind her. _

_Clearly, talking to a girl was not among Ichigo's best skills._

* * *

Ichigo was greeted at the Kurosaki clinic with the aromatic fragrance of the Yuzu's irreplaceable cookings, and his father's fist ready to punch him at the face.

"Welcome back, Ichi-" Ichigo repelled his father by covering the fist with his own, and pushed him backwards. Isshin was forced fall on his back, and he gave Ichigo a victorious grin.

"That's my son! Looked like the training I gave you in your early years finally bore fruit! You have not allowed me to defeat you for the last ten years! I'm so proud of my-"

As usual, Ichigo didn't let his father finish his sentence.

"Let's just eat, Oya-jii."

Yuzu appeared from the kitchen, still clad with an apron above her normal t-shirt and a casual pair of skirt, called the two men. "Onii-chan, Oto-san! Dinner's ready! Onii-chan, you came at just the right time! Karin-chan?"

Ichigo's eyes darted towards a woman who's paying her full attention towards the television. Karin never lost her affection for Naruto, even though it was on its 10th rerun on the history of television.

"Coming." She switched off the television and headed to the table.

"Karin, where's Chad?" Ichigo asked his sister of his best friend's absence. He would normally show up most of the time, even if his presence merely meant using extra utensils and having Yuzu prepare extra servings. His stoic demeanor never changed after all these years, and sometimes Ichigo wondered why had Karin and Chad married each other when they are clearly polar opposites in personality.

"It's his Abuelo's death anniversary tomorrow, and he needs to prepare for it." Her answer was short as she used a pair of chopsticks to fetch the nearest dish.

"I wanted to help him," Karin continued, "but he said he didn't need any help, thus you see me back here," and she swallowed a mouthful of rice.

Isshin who had just settled to the table, displayed every tell-tale sign of wanting to join in the conversation.

"But you missed Daddy! Karin finally admitted that he missed Daddy!" He shrieked in enjoyment, just to have a ball of rice splattered on his face.

"Eat your meal, Oya-jii!" Karin's pair of chopstick pointing at Isshin, indicating that she was the culprit for the attack. "Dear lord, I swear you never changed," she said nonchalantly.

Ichigo would never said, it, but the discord in his house was something that he treasured. On the surface, he may seemed like he hated the noisy household, but growing up in such an environment, he can't help being affected by the general optimistic nature of his family, and the hilarity ensued in their daily life. His father could be the most idiotic father he ever seen; but he was also the wisest and the most doting father he came across. He had for his sisters of course, nothing short of affection and concern. The dinner commenced in the usual chaotic manner, with Yuzu consistently asking them to settle down and not throw the dishes that she cooked around the table.

"Isshin-san!" The greeting was obviously made for the doctor at the dinner table, because it came from the part-timer who was hired as the reception nurse.

Every Kurosaki at the table had their hands froze and their eyes on Sayu, the said nurse. When there was a sudden interruption from her, it usually meant that there was a patient, even if they do not require immediate attention. It was Isshin's personal principle that patients should be attended to immediately, no matter how serious the ailments and injuries are.

Isshin screwed his forehead, which made him look far more serious than he was just a few moments ago, dropped his goofy smiles and his utensils, then headed straight towards the clinic. "Hurry up, Sayu-san, let's not make the patient wait."

Ichigo motioned back to his bowl of rice, and said, "Let's not wait for Oya-jii! He will come back in a while."

The Kurosaki children resumed their dinner, albeit in a more peaceful manner now that the main noisemaker was preoccupied.

* * *

"_Kurosaki-kun, you don't have to do this," she said shyly when he suggested that they walk together back from school. _

_It was a week after the incident in the Urahara store where Ichigo tried to ask her about her life in Hueco Mundo. The awkwardness that ensued didn't give Ichigo the confidence to attempt another "interrogation" session. Nevertheless, at the suggestion of Urahara, they were now back to school, and Ichigo was standing in the middle of the classroom with her, offering to walk her back home._

"_It's alright, Inoue. Tatsuki will be having the Winter Tournament, so she will be practicing a lot these days. I talked to her, and she mentioned that it would be great to have someone else walk you home on a regular basis in her stead."_

_Orihime's face blushed a little, and she lowered down her gaze. "I don't want to trouble you, Kurosaki-kun."_

"_There's no trouble, I don't participate in activities after all." He noticed that a small smile curved on her lips. _

_He motioned to her, as if saying, "Let's go" and began their journey home. _

_After being absent for more than a week, Ichigo finally attended school again. He arrived in his class that morning greeted by all things that was normal to him. A normal over-enthusiastic Keigo greeting. A normal grin by Chad. And a normal Ochi-sensei sarcastically remarking that Ichigo must be living his teenage life to the fullest by skipping classes every so often. It was back to his normal teenage life – school, friends, and teachers. _

_The highlight for the day was probably his conversation to Tatsuki. She approached him on his signature lurking place during recess (which was the rooftop of the school building) and sat beside him. Having her sat there brought the déjà vu vibes to Ichigo, and he was reminded of those times when she reached out to him as a child when he was at his lowest point, especially after his mother's death. If their friendship hadn't created a rift and she went on to be Orihime's best friend, he might be able to call her his best friend. _

"_Orihime went back to school two days ago, Ichigo," she began the conversation. It felt weird talking to her now since the last contact they made prior to that included her punching him in the face and breaking the window panes with the back of his head, asking him to remember that she is also his friend. They parted on such bad terms, he wasn't sure she wanted to talk to him ever again. Seemed as though Orihime's return rekindled her trust on him, but he wasn't certain whether she would be ready to accept the whole truth about the whole abduction. _

_He remembered that he went to school just before he went on a mission to rescue Orihime, and that decision made him felt more ashamed than he already was. Even though Tatsuki was the one which brought the issue of Orihime to him, demanding to know where she was – eventually it was his own reminiscence that pained him the most, Tatsuki's confrontation added salt to his wounds. Thinking back, he wasn't sure himself on why he actually chose to go to school that day, when he was in a desperate rush to retrieve Orihime from Hueco Mundo. _

"_She looked as though she hadn't left at all," Tatsuki continued. Her tone was not accusative, nor imperative; and she exuded the gentleness that Ichigo rarely saw in her, save for those times when she came to comfort him after he lost his mother. "But you brought her back, Ichigo."_

"_Thank you."_

_Ichigo thought she had nothing to be thankful about because it wasn't a favour that he was doing for anyone at all. Sure, she did spank him hard to remind him that she was also his friend, but more than that, she reminded him that Orihime's place was here in this world, within his circle of friends, on the real world. She didn't belong anywhere else but here. Somehow hearing that she would willingly pledge her affiliations to Aizen made him waver a little, and he thought if she had indeed willingly ally with Aizen, he might had acted out of line of a friend. _

_Tatsuki didn't need to thank Ichigo, in fact, he was the one wanting to thank him for reaffirming his belief that Orihime does belong to this world. _

_His lips turned upwards into a small smile. "No, I thank you, Tatsuki."_

"_Seeing that she is now happy, whatever I went through in saving her made it all worthwhile. _

_She stole a glance at him, and noticed the directions to which his eyes were focusing on. "You know, Ichigo. Sometimes I am jealous of you."_

_That successfully achieved his attention as he tore away from Orihime to face Tatsuki. "What for?"_

_Tatsuki gave a small chuckle. "Nothing much really, I thought I might had been a little too possessive of Orihime sometimes."_

"_Nevertheless, if it wasn't for you, I think I'll be sick with worry whenever she wanders off alone, especially when she went to a world where I can't enter. There were times when I think that she began to spend more time without me, and was happy even without me. Most of the time I blame you, because you dragged her into your Shinigami business."_

_Ichigo didn't really know how to reply her. For him, the friendship between Tatsuki and Orihime never seemed to have displayed any rift. "I don't see why you have to worry about, you know she never forgets you. Inoue is just someone who gets along with everyone, you know that."_

"_Yeah, I know. She had always been a little sun for me, always happy and cheerful. And her imagination of your scowls were priceless."_

_Ichigo's frown immediately illustrated itself on his facial features. "You must be joking."_

"_She talked about you very often," She continued. _

"_You are lying."_

"_Stop denying it, she cares for you."_

"_Same as everybody else."_

"_You don't get it. You know she likes you, right?"_

"_She likes everybody."_

"_Suit yourself." With that, Ichigo shifted uncomfortably on his backside, as a counter-reaction towards a slight twist in his stomach that started its actions the moment Tatsuki mentioned about Orihime liking him. _

"_Tatsuki-chan!" Orihime yelled from beneath the building. Apparent she spotted both of them on the roof from the tree that the girls used to hang out under. _

"_If you don't eat the Castilla sandwich that I made, Chizuru-chan will take them all," her chirpy singsong voice rang to call for Tatsuki. _

_The girl who was called began to rise from her seat beside Ichigo. "Looks like I have to go before the lesbian attacks Orihime again. What should I do to make her stay away from Orihime, that bitch."_

_She began her steps down the staircase. "See you later, Ichigo." _

_The very same voice who had called for Tatsuki earlier this morning snapped him out of his thoughts. _

"_Kurosaki-kun?"_

_He was a little startled. "Ah?"_

_Orihime giggled. "You shouldn't really space out, you know! It would be too much trouble if a squirrel comes out and bite your toes!" _

_He was immediately reminded on Tatsuki telling him how Orihime never seemed to have left the real world for Hueco Mundo at all. Ichigo now saw what made Tatsuki came to that conclusion. She really didn't seemed as though anything actually happened between them. _

"_There are no trees around, Inoue. So there wouldn't be any squirrels." Ichigo decided that he could entertain her harmless wild imaginations. _

_She puckered up her lips, and looked sternly to Ichigo. "I suspect that our country is now conducting squirrel's DNA-mutating researches."_

_The combination of Orihime' serious expression and the ridiculous topic had Ichigo burst out, while he didn't laugh, the grin that broke through his lips said it all. _

"_Where did you get those types of ideas?"_

_She grinned widely. "Kurosaki-kun was looking so serious, I am glad that I cheered you up! But I do think that the squirrels are undergoing DNA-mutation researches!"_

_Ichigo knew the futility of arguing worldly logic with Orihime with her in such a mood. "Let's walk faster, Inoue. The sun is about set." _

_After that Ichigo spent most of the journey listening to Orihime's babble on things that happened in the school for the last two days when he was absent, until they reached her apartment. He was exceptionally grateful that she was gleeful and optimistic, at least it eased him a little that she wasn't depressed about anything. Sometimes Ichigo wondered why she could maintain such optimism when things are not being well, and when the cruelties were piling up against her. He had never seen her angry at anything, never seen her upset at anything – times like this he wished that she was not such a jovial. More so than unwilling to open up, she made it hard for him to know whether she was indeed upset or not. _

"_Orihime-neechan!" They reached her apartment and a boy of about ten greeted her. _

_She turned to look at the kid, and responded to him. "Yuji-kun! When did you come?"_

_The boy was obviously more than contented to see Orihime. He rushed to give Orihime a bear hug which she returned, and when he released, Orihime played with his hair. _

"_You've grown so much!" She was also very pleased to see him. _

_Yuji looked like he didn't like anyone playing with his hair anymore. "Orihime-neechan, please do not mess up my hair!" He tried to push her hands away, but he just made her turn her attention towards his cheek. _

"_You've gotten thinner!" At those words, Orihime gave a little yell. "Don't tell me you haven't been eating!"_

"_Of course not! I'm a grown up now, and of course I will be more slender! Or else I wouldn't grow into someone who can marry Orihime-neechan!" Yuji retaliated harder. _

_Orihime flashed the boy a huge smile, and said softly. "You are still planning to do that, huh?"_

"_Anyway, I actually came last week, but you weren't home, Orihime-neechan. Did something happen to you?" Yuji enquired with an adorable mix of curiousity and earnest. He was a cute boy, with large round eyes and features which accentuated his innocence. Ichigo for a moment thought that it was lucky that the boy wasn't any older; because then his little jokes of marrying Orihime may take a serious turn. _

_Astounded that he thought of such a thing, Ichigo gave his head a little scratch. What was he thinking again?_

_Orihime's answers were, none to Ichigo's surprise, as creative as he imagined. "You know, I was taken to another planet by this really evil man! Then he asked me dress up like them, and I had this weird white clothes on the whole time!" She answered with the equal magnitude of earnest, perhaps even more. _

"_Wow, was the place full of bad guys?" Yuji's expression was of someone who was listening to a fictional story. _

"_Well, there were some girls who were really fierce, some guys whose face had crazy expressions, but they weren't really bad people. One even brought me to see Kurosaki-kun!" She pointed towards Ichigo and turned their attention on him. _

"_So he went to save you?" He gazed at Ichigo in an expression that suggested awe, though Ichigo was half-expecting a little jealousy or some dislike. _

"_Yes, in fact he went to save me against all odds, and now you see me back here!"_

_Yuji's face screwed up in a mock dejection. "Looks like I have a lot to catch up so that I can steal you away from your boyfriend here." He said with a sinking tone. _

_Orihime laughed. "Kurosaki-kun is not my boyfriend, Yuji-kun. He's just my classmate." _

_This statement from Orihime must have cheered him up considerably because his eyes lightened up and enthusiasm visibly redisplayed itself on his face. _

"_Really?"_

"_Yu – ji!" Looking up to the direction of the voice, Ichigo saw an old lady calling from the door of the house next to Orihime's. _

"_I'll see you later, Orihime-neechan! Grandma's calling!" He ran off into a flight of staircase which would led him back to his house. _

_Ichigo asked, "Inoue, is that your neighbour?"_

"_Yes." She answered confidently. "He lived with Oba-san when he was younger, but now he moved back with his mother somewhere in the city, and only comes back once in a while. It's been almost a year since I last saw him."_

"_He sure loves teasing you, huh?"_

_Orihime's went into a semi-panic streak and shook her head frantically. "He's just teasing me, Kurosaki-kun! I never took it seriously!"_

_Ichigo smiled. "I know, I know." _

_She was about to leave, "I am going up to my house now!", when he suddenly stopped her. _

"_Inoue." There was something that he needed to ask, but he hesitated. He was still undecided when he stopped her. He was in full awareness that the situation had perfectly weaved the circumstances in a manner in which he would appear inquisitive rather than nosy; his brain told him no, but his heart drove him mad asking him to go ahead._

"_When you were talking about scary guys….were you talking about Grimmjow?"_

_She lowered her head, staring at the ground. "Perhaps..maybe…yes. I think so.."_

"_I just loved that I met you back because of him."_

"_Were you attacked by the fierce girls that you just mentioned?" There, he asked it. He couldn't get rid of the notion that she could possibly be abused in Hueco Mundo out of his system. Ichigo realized that it was not in his bones to be asking questions that invade a person's privacy; in fact he never liked asking things about his friends unless they told him, but what Grimmjow told him about Orihime perturbed him very much and prompted his more invasive side._

_She ran her fingers into her hair, messing herself up in a very Orihime-fashion, and grinned, as though trying to ask for a leap over for that matter. _

"_They did nothing to me…haha..It was just a lie to Yuji-kun..You shouldn't take it seriously. No one did anything to me."_

_He must have been overthinking. He should have learnt his lessons by now. She was happy, joyful and perfectly alright. Why must he think otherwise? _

"_It's nothing, Inoue. Forget that I asked." The atmosphere surrounding them seemed more airtight now that such awkwardness resurfaced._

_He turned back towards the direction heading to his own house, and said, "I'm leaving, Inoue. See you tomorrow." _

_He took off, but not immediately back to his house. In fact, he walked wherever his feet carried him, wishing that he had hidden his Ipod inside his bag so that he would have his music to distract him from his thoughts._

_As if fate would like to dictate, he reached the riverbank where his mother died. _

_He thought that the bright lights illuminating upon the reflections of the reddened twilight sun was beautiful. It was a serene sight of dusk reflected on the watery surface of the river. The silent flow of the water current; the children playing across the bank – they gave him a peace of mind that was unthinkable given that this very place held the worst memory of his life. _

_For a moment as he stared at the panoramic landscape, he didn't seem to feel any remorse or guilt as he expected. However, he magically had his thoughts empty and focused solely on how breathtaking such simple sights were. His minds drifted back to how hollow and scarce Hueco Mundo was like, and he was more than grateful now that above all else, he was alive, and his friends were all alive. _

_Being alive never seemed so satisfying before, and he now fully comprehended the reasons that nature was said to be the best cure for all ailments of the heart. Even if he didn't like the thought of himself being cured because there was an ailment in his heart – a therapeutic sight-seeing session wasn't a bad idea at all. _

"_Kurosaki-kun!" He heard a familiar yell. _

_It was Orihime, still in her uniforms, devoid of her bag. She was standing on the pavement to Ichigo's riverbank, panting as though she had been running. _

"_Inoue?"_

_They paused in the midst of the setting sun. _

"_Kuro.." She was still panting, but making her way down to the grassy ground of the riverbank. Ichigo walked to close the distance. _

_Up close, Ichigo could see that her cheeks were flushing reds and she looked really different from the other instances where she had her cheeks in such a scarlet hue._

"_I came to tell you, Kurosaki-kun," she began after regained composure was no longer panting, "It wasn't as you thought it was."_

"_Everything wasn't as serious as you thought, I wasn't trying to hide anything from you." _

"_It's just that they don't matter much anymore, now that I am back," she concluded herself. _

_Ichigo thought that it was really attentive of her to have noticed what exactly was bothering him, and times like this he knew that he doesn't have to speak to have her understand him. In a strange manner, he liked that she knew what to say at the right time. There were situations where he doubted himself and she helped him understand his own situation better, like when he hesitated to save Rukia. _

_The sun seemed to have completely set, and it just dawned upon him that it already was approaching dinner time, but something she said had him discarded that idea right away. _

"_Fireflies!" She was referring towards the few glittering mini-lanterns that were floating around the edge of the riverbank. _

"_It's rare to see them when it's not summer!" She was so excited; she rushed towards the fireflies in a stream of movement that seemed more like child-like skips than runs. Once she approached them, she lowered herself to settle down on the grassy land, and observed them. _

"_Wouldn't you like to see them, Kurosaki-kun?" She turned to him and called for his attention towards the few bugs that was swarming around her. _

_Ichigo figured that he probably ranked the lowest in the ability to turn her down; in addition to not really wanting to say no, and he also thought that there should be no harm in observing fireflies. Thus, he went to sit down beside her, and watched her playing with the grass to bait them over._

_He didn't realize that he was staring at her until much later because he was too absorbed in how the lights emitted from the fireflies that were flying around her seemed to also underscore her own radiance. Her eyes brimming with glee, cheeks now flushing with joy, and her whole expression just lit up. _

_She apparently caught on his lingering gaze. "My brother used to be able to have them all perch on his fingers and it looked really beautiful. That's how I came to love fireflies." She seemed to think that Ichigo's attention sprung from his curiousity upon her fascination for fireflies. _

_In a whimsical attempt, Ichigo raised up his left hand. Not really wanting to achieve anything, but just wanting to conduct an unofficial experiment to prove whether such phenomenon could actually happen to him too. After all, he had never tested his own affinities for fireflies. _

_To his utter disbelief, some fireflies had stopped swarming around, flew towards his fingers, and settled on them. Orihime's eyes were now firmly fixed on Ichigo's lit-up hand; face glowed with what seemed like a combination of disbelief and excitement. _

_Even with years that passed after the incident, Ichigo still failed to explain for the next course of actions that he executed. He placed his free hand, bringing her face nearer to his, and kissed her. However, he could at least understand that he remembered thinking about the possibilities of her pushing him away, or running back to her home. _

_To his pleasant surprise, she did neither._

* * *

"Ichigo!" Isshin emerged from the door separating the Kurosaki household and the clinic.

He was helping Yuzu clean the table, and his father's call for him startled him quite a little. Ever since he moved out from the house, he had not been helping his father in his clinic; and besides that, Isshin had helpers from the Karakura Hospital (thanks to Ishida's father) and they would be dispatched whenever Isshin needed them.

"Come here, please," Isshin solemnly requested.

Ichigo slowly put down the plates that he was handling, and nodded to Yuzu asking to be excused, and headed towards the clinic half of the house.

He entered the mini-ward, and saw a boy about twelve lying there, and a woman Ichigo assume was his mother had her head on her hands sitting beside the bed. He noticed that the boy had bandages on his left leg, which was probably caused by falling. He had also observed that there were minor injuries and scratches all over his hands and palms.

Nevertheless, it didn't seem as though his father needed him at all.

"Oya-jii."

What could he do when the patient had already been treated and was now resting on the bed?

"Why had you called me?"

Isshin, who was sorting out his files, turned to Ichigo and said, "Oh, there is something that I need to talk to you." He took a step away from his desk, and walked towards the reception table, signing for Ichigo to follow him.

The reception was significantly brighter than the ward. "Sayu-chan, would you please head to the Karakura Hospital and ask for these few drugs?" Isshin handed the girl a piece of paper, and she grabbed her handbag then exited the clinic.

Isshin face Ichigo, and he wore a serious expression that Ichigo only sees in a situation that he would never joke about. Like that time when he told him about the truth about his spiritual powers, and who he was long before Ichigo was conceived.

"The patient that I just received, Ichigo, had some residual of Hollow reiatsu."

Ichigo didn't understand what had Isshin been wanting to tell him, because the patient clearly didn't suffer from the consequences of encountering a Hollow.

"What do you mean? I didn't sense it." Ichigo asked his father.

"There may be two reasons. One, it had faded, which I think it had. The reaitsu was low on concentration, and when he was brought in, I could only barely sense it. Adding this to the fact that there was no Hollow appearance today, it could only be from a contact with a human who had encountered one."

Ichigo's head could barely digest what he had been told.

"And two, Ichigo, you had the similar Hollow reaitsu on your body. I am surprised you didn't catch up on this."

The surprise on Isshin was nothing compared to the utter shock displayed on Ichigo's face.

* * *

**Author's end of fic notes:**

Thanks for reading this, and this chapter was a little longer than usual, but I was planning to go much further than this very point. Have to blame myself for the wordiness. If you are wondering on why I had not elaborate on the riverbank kiss, the answer is "Next chapter". Again, I am apologizing ahead for any grammatical errors and spelling errors that may had occurred, and I am trying to be better at grammar now.

I am sorry for the delay, especially to my friends whom I had promised to present this much earlier. I was caught up in real life business that drained my energy and concentration more than I thought, however, next update should probably take less time because I am working on it as you are reading this. Thanks again for putting up with this long message, and thanks for reading.

Have a nice day, and if you have anything to say about this chapter and this fic in general, you know which button to click!


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